Publicity-seeking shrink. xD Although I’ve heard that it was to call attention to the seriousness of the matter, not Saitou-sensei himself, that figure was definitely made up; he admitted it in his biography. He said it was based on the number of schizophrenics in Japan.

Anyway, those articles are ridiculously biased. Of course there are plenty who are as described, by far most hikikomori leave their houses every so often, if not on a regular basis. They just don’t do anything social, although they can online; 2-channel is milling with them.